Explore far and wide: test any number of communication statements

The client’s question

Our client, Aanya, who works for a leading personal care brand wanted to revise and rationalize the positioning of their best-selling shampoo brand.

For many years, local teams around the world were given great freedom in their choices. This lead to an incoherent positioning, with communication campaigns focused on a different benefit in each country. Now, she wanted to cross-test all benefit areas used in all countries to identify the one with truly global acceptance.

Our approach

We started by helping Aanya ensure all benefits tested were given a fair chance to win. We provided examples of region-specific differences in communication preference and shared practical tips on how to build statements that are effective in every region.

To identify the best global benefit, we needed to test a very large number of communication statements. Our solution was to use a MaxDiff method powered by evolutionary algorithms. These algorithms continuously analyze the data available and steer data collection to obtain more observations for high potential statements. As such, they enable the testing of many items without sacrificing precision and granularity for the best results.

The results

By using evolutionary algorithms, we were able to test a total of 100 communication statements with a sample size as small as 500 consumers. We also collected open-ended, qualitative feedback on the reasons for preference.

As a result, we recommended one message to use in communication in every country. We also signaled potential difficulties in specific countries. To get around this, we suggested a few ways to adapt the messaging based on country-specific qualitative consumer insights.